The present invention relates to a printer that uses an intermediate transfer film or web on which an image is printed by a printhead, after which the transfer film or web is registered with an identification card or other substrate to be printed and the image from the intermediate transfer film or web is laminated onto the card. The printer includes driven rollers and a dancer arm to create slack on one side of the film or web that permits the intermediate transfer film or web to move back and forth for multi-colored printing while the portion that will be laminated onto the card is not moved, or is moved at a different rate. Access to the print film or web and intermediate film or web transfer paths is simplified with modular components that are coupled together.
One prior art approach to producing printed identification cards is to print data directly onto the surface of the plastic card. The image on the surface of the card is susceptible to damage from abrasion, chemicals and radiation. To reduce or eliminate exposure of the printed material data, a protective film is laminated over the printed material.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minn. (3M) has developed a material D12500 for printing a reverse image of the data on the under side of a protective film, and then the protective film is stacked onto a base substrate with the printed side next to the base substrate. Heat and pressure are applied to the flat card surfaces, and the stacked materials are fused into a solid composite by melting.
Dai Nippon Printing (DIP) of Japan has an intermediate transfer process that involves printing a reverse image of the data that is desired on a card on the under side of the protective film used. The Dai Nippon Process prints to an intermediate transfer web or film such as that used in this invention, and allows the intermediate transfer film to be transferred to the base substrate without requiring the film and base substrate to melt or fuse. In a dye sublimation process, multiple colors can be printed onto an intermediate transfer film or web, but it requires movement of the intermediate transfer film or web back and forth during the printing process so that multiple passes of printing occur.